Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
The city of Gatineau says approximately 15,000 residents will be under a boil water advisory starting Tuesday night. The boil water advisory is due to water main work in the city. It comes into effect at 11 p.m. and will remain in effect until it is lifted. The homes affected by the advisory are located between Montée Paiement and Avenue du Cheval-Blanc, Highway 50 and the Ottawa River.
It is that time of year when farmers are heading into spring seeding season but Mother Nature still needs to play catch up. What was said to be the biggest snow storm in decades left behind plenty of snow for many southern parts of the province. Now there is more snow on the way and while many people are ready to put winter behind them, farmers are welcoming any extra moisture after last years’ drought.
When Gov. Gen. Mary Simon visited Windsor Castle last month, she may have taught Queen Elizabeth a new word: ajuinata, roughly pronounced aye-yoo-ee-nah-tah. In fact, it's not a new word at all, but a very old one, Simon later explained to the CBC's Adrienne Arsenault. "Ajuinata means that if you're confronted with adversity or things that are difficult, you keep going, you don't give up, and you need to make a commitment to continue to make changes," said Simon, the first Indigenous person to hold the office.
TerraCycle, the world’s leader in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams, has joined forces with the Kumi Canada Corporation to collect and recycle the world’s most littered item – cigarette butts. After being shipped to TerraCycle, the waste collected through the program is processed into plastic pellets for use in a variety of recycled products while the remaining tobacco is composted.
Every couple of weeks, postdoctoral researcher Yosuke Yamada grabs a bucket and makes the short drive from his lab at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology to one of the nearby ports on the southerly Japanese island of the same name. He passes Okinawa’s iconic beaches, where snorkelers visit clownfish and coral reefs, and continues to the fishing wharfs. After Yamada scoops a bucketful of water from between the boats, he heads back to his lab to study components of the island’s ecosystem that are so small they must be observed using a microscope: bacteria, viruses, algae, and fungi — the ocean’s microbes.
A new watershed study and management plan is in the works for Trout Lake. Recently, East Ferris and North Bay held open houses to provide information on the project and hear feedback from residents who have questions or concerns about the lake. Members of the Trout Lake Conservation Association (TLCA) attended the North Bay open house, which was held in the atrium of City Hall on March 13 and had an opportunity to share their concerns about the lake’s future.
The London Environmental Network is offering to reimburse up to $1,000 to those in London, Ont. who install rain gardens on their property. A rain garden is a landscape feature that is both aesthetically pleasing and good for the environment. The bowl-like structures are dug into lawns to collect rain and melted snow that runs off grass, roofs and driveways in urban areas.
Lawn watering across Metro Vancouver will be limited to once a week when restrictions come into effect May 1, down from twice a week last year. Water use can increase by up to 50 per cent in the summer months according to the regional district, and lawn watering is a major reason why. The Phase 1 restrictions will remain in effect until Oct. 15. "The region-wide watering regulations are an effective way to help us use our drinking water wisely," Metro Vancouver's website reminds residents.
A new market study published by Global Industry Analysts Inc., (GIA) the premier market research company, today released its report titled "Bottled Water - Global Market Trajectory & Analytics". The report presents fresh perspectives on opportunities and challenges in a significantly transformed post COVID-19 marketplace.
Peterborough Regional Science Fair winners experiment with vegetation sanitation, microplastics in Jackson Creek, green detergents and colour perception. Five Peterborough youth science enthusiasts are heading to the Canada-Wide Science Fair after winning for their projects at the Peterborough Regional Science Fair last week. The science fair was held virtually again due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The winners were revealed Wednesday in a ceremony held over Zoom.
A preventative boil water advisory is now over for 1,200 residences in Gatineau. The city of Gatineau issued the boil water advisory for homes located north of Highway 50, between Labrosse and Lorrain boulevards, on Friday following a drop in water pressure. On Sunday, the city said tests confirm the water is safe to consume. Residents are asked to let the water run for one minute or until it runs cold before using it.
The Portage Diversion will be closed Saturday due to declining water levels on the Assiniboine River but the floodway will remain open, according to a release by the province. A flood warning continues for the Red River from Emerson to the Red River Floodway channel inlet. The province said the Red River is expected to peak sometime between April 20-22 in Emerson with peak flows ranging from 20,000 and 24,300 cubic feet per second.
The naming ceremony saw the name changed to ‘the Water Walker’ in Ojibwe to recognize water rights advocate Josephine Mandamin. The Anishinaabe grandmother, elder and founding member of the Water Protectors walked around the Great Lakes to bring awareness to water pollution. She walked 25,000 miles around the shorelines of all Great Lakes and other North American waterways while carrying a bucket of water to bring awareness to the need to protect the waters from pollution.
Because wetlands remain waterlogged year-round, plant matter in the soil is slow to decompose, making them globally important carbon sinks. However, the role of mountain wetlands in storing and releasing water and carbon is not well understood. Climate is changing more quickly in mountain regions which may be profoundly changing their ability to store carbon and water. Dr. Somers and her team aim to develop a new understanding of mountain wetlands to determine how best to manage or restore these important landscapes in the face of climate and land use change and to maximize their capacity to supply potable water and absorb atmospheric carbon.
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) announced the completion of their deep borehole drilling projects in both Teeswater and Ignace. A press release on April 7 said, “The completion of the last borehole at the potential site in the SON-South Bruce area follows on work in the Wabigoon-Ignace area, which wrapped up in November 2021 after five years of intensive field study that started in 2017.” “We need to be sure that used nuclear fuel can be safely contained in the rock to ensure water, people and the environment are safe,” said Sarah Hirschorn, director of geoscience at the NWMO.
Some communities on P.E.I. may soon be looking for information about COVID-19 in wastewater. Several jurisdictions across the country already sample wastewater in an effort to collect data on how the virus is moving through their communities. Officials with the City of Charlottetown's water and sewer utility started discussions with P.E.I.'s Chief Public Health Officer Monday about the possibility of wastewater monitoring for the virus.
A first-generation landfill that operated from 1946 to 1996 in the Town of Shelburne’s south end – that has also been the subject of environmental racism claims – may finally be officially decommissioned. The Town of Shelburne has announced it has submitted a funding application to the Government of Canada’s Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) to support efforts to ensure the first-generation landfill conforms to Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change (NSECC) requirements.
After a long winter, Easter weekend is a great time to get outside to enjoy the warming weather. But if adventures in the great outdoors are part of your weekend plans, please ensure you stay clear of waterways around OPG hydroelectric facilities. Recent snow melt, combined with spring precipitation, has the potential to cause rising water levels. High water flow, melting snow and ice, and unstable banks along waterways can be especially dangerous at this time of year.
Increase in disposable income, demand for water purification systems, and rise in concerns toward health and well-being among the global population drive the growth of the global water purifier market. Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Water purifier Market by Technology (Uv, Ro, Gravity Based), by End User (Commercial, Residential), by Distribution Channel (Retail Stores, Direct Sales, Online), by Portability (Portable, Non Portable): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2031". According to the report, the global water purifier industry generated $29.9 billion in 2020, and is anticipated to generate $92.1 billion by 2031, witnessing a CAGR of 10.1% from 2022 to 2031.
"Given the track record of N.B. Power with things like the whole effort in Florida to look at trying to generate power out of seawater, they shouldn't be going anywhere near creating other subsidiaries," said Green Party leader David Coon. Liberal MLA and energy critic René Legacy says the only examples of potential new N.B. Power business ventures Holland has spoken about are industrial light and the renting of water heaters, something the utility does now. "Well, you're not going to fix N.B. Power's debt with water heater rentals," he said. "That's not realistic."
